"My sister was the most kindest person," said Sue, who's about 7 years younger. "She helped to raise me. She always took care of me with such kindness. Agnes worked so hard."

Agnes completed only 10 years of schooling. In those days, Vincent said, it wasn't unusual for women not to finish their education as most were needed to assist around the house.

Named after her mother, Agnes helped care for her younger sisters, especially Helen, who contracted polio. Agnes and Sue are the only surviving siblings.

The family grew cabbage and made sauerkraut; canned fruits and vegetables.

"All winter we had good things to eat," said Sue.

While still a teenager, Agnes moved to Pittsburgh to work as a maid for two well-off families. Basically, she kept their homes neat and clean.

One couple, who summered in Bar Harbor, Maine, took her along to watch after their children.

Agnes would always send something from her paychecks to her mother, Vincent said.

Sue remembers that when their sister, Verna, was to be married, neither she nor their parents could afford a wedding gown.

"My sister (Agnes) took the day off work, took the train from Pittsburgh to Johnstown," she said, to buy the dress and veil.

When it was time for Sue to go to the school prom, Agnes bought her a "beautiful gown" and one spring, a purple coat.

"She was very unselfish, all the time," said Sue. "She's wonderful."

Vincent agreed: "She always was one to do things for others."

Agnes loved to dance and that's how she met her husband, Vincent "Jim" Patterson.

"We started dancing together and then we started going out and then I met his family," she said.

Jim, who lived in Aliquippa, was 20 years older than Agnes. They married May 15, 1942, living in the city's Plan 11 neighborhood until 1970, then moved to Hopewell.

Jim worked at J&L Steel Corp.

As an adult, Agnes went back to school to obtain her G.E.D. (general educational development) certificate and continued her education earning a degree in licensed practical nursing in the late 1950s.

Vincent remembers how hard his mom studied, always worried that she wouldn't pass.

"She passed her boards on the first shot," he said proudly.

Agnes worked at the former Aliquippa Hospital, retiring in 1975.

"She was glad she retired then," Vincent said. Jim died in 1976 at age 84. "They had that last year to do some things."

But Agnes didn't stay retired for long.

Aliquippa Hospital sometimes would need home-health nurses to tend to patients who needed continued care following discharge. Agnes, because of her expertise in hands-on care, said Vincent, was one who was often called.

One woman was only expected to live a couple of weeks, but within two weeks, Agnes had her up and walking, he said. And she lived another two or three years.

She continued private-duty nursing well into her late 80s, and was driving until about 90.

Vincent fondly remembers wintertime. Their house, at the top of a hill, was a popular spot for sled riding.

"She never had to worry about us. She'd sit at the window keeping an eye on us," he said, while knitting a scarf or sweater, but usually mittens, because the ones they wore would quickly get soaked and she'd have dry ones ready to replace them.

Both Vincent and Larry said their mother was a good cook, and they especially savored her stuffed cabbage, which drew raves, and pizzelles.

But her box cakes -- not so much.

When the mixes first came out, "she'd mess them up," Vincent said, "because she wasn't reading the instructions," as she was used to making everything from scratch.

Besides Vincent and Larry, Agnes and Jim also had a son, John A. Patterson, who died in 2005, plus numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Vincent said his mother's "quiet determination," coupled with a bit of feistiness, likely is the reason she's reached 100.

About 50 relatives and friends gathered Jan. 12 at Providence to celebrate the milestone.

Are you, a family member or friend celebrating a 100th birthday? We'd like to salute this centennial anniversary in "100 and Counting." Email biographical details to 100andcounting@timesonline.com; mail to 100 and Counting, The Times, 400 Fair Ave., Beaver, PA 15009; fax to 724-775-4180; or leave a message at 724-775-3200, Ext. 170. Please include a daytime phone number or cell number.

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